Everyone Is Immortal Until They Die
by Time-Travelling Llama
Summary: Inspired by the song Immortals by Fall Out Boy. The Doctor and Clara are reunited at last but Clara is still holding a secret from the Doctor. With an ancient map and a quest to find one of the greatest magical objects in universal history, the Doctor and Clara's adventures are far from over. I hope you like it! :)


The Doctor looked impressed, which was rare, Clara thought to herself. Ever since he had regenerated he had been a lot grumpier but only on the outside though. Different but the same, he was still the curious child at heart, running through the stars trying to complete the impossible task of seeing the entire universe.

After the incident with the dream crabs Clara felt different too. It had felt so real growing old, living an entire life without the Doctor. Like all dreams though it faded but the impression it left on Clara didn't. Growing old scared her. Before she hadn't really thought about it, with Danny she didn't care but he was gone and now with the Doctor? Was he immortal? Now the timelords had given him a whole new regeneration cycle who knew. She had asked him before but his response was cryptic as ever.

'Everyone is immortal until they die Clara.' He had said in his strong Scottish accent. What did that even mean? She liked it though. It seemed hopeful in a weird sort of way. Something only someone like the Doctor could come up with. Either way with the exception of Trenzelore the Doctor had never really had to deal with old age. She often wondered how that had been for him but now she'd lived it too. Waking up and looking in the mirror at her wrinkled reflection. Gradually losing her mobility and strength and she'd been alone.

Second chances are rare but sometimes there are miracles especially at Christmas and Clara was intent to keep hold of this one.

'Clara.' A voice broke her train of thought. 'Clara?' Snapping out of her thought stream Clara focused once again on the Doctor. Before the invasion it had been a month since Danny's death, a month since she lied to the Doctor and let him leave her behind. But unlike the Doctor she still wasn't telling the complete truth now she thought with discomfort.

'Sorry.' She looked him feeling guilty about her secret. She wasn't sure why though. In fact she wasn't even sure why she couldn't tell him.

'Still thinking about the dream crabs?' he asked with slight concern.

'Yeah.' She said quietly. 'Not just them.' She thought.

'I scanned the Earth before we left. No more dream crabs. As for the old thing...' he paused. 'I'm older than you.' He finished eventually. The Doctor wished he could be of more comfort to Clara but he didn't know how. Aging and death are the biggest fears shared by the large majority of humanity in any time. 'Distract her.' He thought and pulled out the latest object of his tremendous curiosity. The orb shone with a pale blue light and hummed steadily indicating its intent to do more than be what it seemed. 'I've been working on this.' He told her enthusiastically.

'What is it?' Clara asked already intrigued.

'A map.' The Doctor pressed the orb between his hands and the humming sound grew exponentially like an old computer booting up. Then it faded out once more and in a burst of light the orb split apart suspended in mid air revealing a complex holographic map which surrounded the pair. It wasn't like any map Clara had ever seen though. There weren't roads or lines, it wasn't even a star map but instead a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey stuff as the Doctor had once so eloquently put it. The words were foreign to her even with the TARDIS's help she couldn't recognise any of it. The Doctor began to interact with the space moving the hologram enhancing and changing the patterns in the mess of the holograms blue light. Clara turned to him for an explanation but she realised from the concentration in his eyes she would have to wait until he had finished to get one without receiving a grumpy shut up. Intently she watched him trying to understand something in this complicated swirl but she got nothing. Even his movement seemed random to her but the Doctor knew what he was doing. Mostly.

It didn't take him long to finish whatever it was he was doing.

'So what do you think?' he asked her excited for her response but Clara didn't know what to say. 'Well?' he prompted.

'What is it?' he sighed. He had hoped not to have to explain.

'A map.' He said again.

'Temporal spatial map?' she asked. He nodded with a smile, she did know after all. 'But a map to where?'

'Oh of course you can't read it can you?' he asked rhetorically mentally scolding himself. 'There is a seed of truth to every myth Clara.'

'Like you then.' She smiled at him. 'A little bit impossible.'

'The elixir of life.' he clarified ignoring her comment. 'This map is impossibly old. Made by a race of ancient being knowledge beyond even the timelords. They are gone now but parts of their society remain scattered throughout all the plains of the universe. I found this in the time vortex and if I'm right it leads the source of immortality.'

Authors Note: To readers of my other stories, not dead and I so sorry! Life got crazy, I went to university and stuff, I'm going to try and be better this year. I hope I will because I really enjoy writing and I just need to force myself to make time for it. Happy new year and I hope you like the story


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